dinner plates

this is a 2-part post.

part 1: my dinner menu for the week. if you know me, or have worked with me, or have read any number of blog posts i've written, you know i like lists. my new coworkers love to inspect what i've jotted down or make fun of my non-sensical post-it notes, but i believe it only adds to my inexplicable charm. i like to write. it. down., then cross. it. off. it is a self-satisfying little thing i do. sometimes it causes me anxiety. but in those cases, i simply ignore the list. the real satisfaction comes from seeing activities numbered and printed on a random sheet of paper, and serves as a reminder of my potential. hence, there are many, many half-crossed lists around my house. apparently, i am not living up to my potential.

but tonight, there is a current, running list: our menu. i love a meal plan and accompanying grocery list, although i'm nowhere near as good as thisgirl. girlfriend is rockin' it! but back to me.

(list)

(uploaded from my new blogger app. smartphones are so NEAT.)

i try. i really do. and i have managed to really adhere to my dinner menu so far, so i'll recount it for you here. potential-measuring, if you will.

sunday - toasted gnocchi with pesto, tomatos & goat cheese. simple and yummy

monday - praise-the-braise chicken with feta & tomato. i love a crockpot. i improvised here with canned tomatoes with juice instead of broth and goat cheese.

tuesday - grilled lemon steelhead trout that looks suspiciously like salmon, with rice & brown sugar green beans.

wednesday - tricked-out pepperoni tombstone pizza. usually, it's leftovers, but i ate them for lunch today.

thursday - turkey turnovers. again with the subbing of goatcheese. mainly because i didn't feel like spending $15 on cheese, which is a major accomplishment for me.

friday - this says shrimp pesto pasta, but i'm betting on leftovers OR orange balsamic chicken thighs with spinach.

saturday - out of town. someone feed the lawyer, please.

sunday - this is usually pizza night, but i'm going with shrimp pesto pasta.

monday - leftovers, again usually reserved for wednesday nights.

tuesday - tuna steaks with rice and green beans (2 staples i keep stocked).

wednesday - black bean tortillas with prosciutto, goat cheese, corn and tomatoes.

thursday - pizza.

and that's as far as i've gotten. but i'm impressed with myself.

part 2: tonight's dinner conversation.

me: (mostly yapping about convos with friends while the lawyer gobbles up dinner)

the lawyer: (mostly gobbling while pretending to look interested in things he doesn't care about)

me: did you like it?

the lawyer: mmm, yes baby. really good. (exits table and opens deep freezer.)

me: are you getting ice cream?

the lawyer: yes.

me: what kind?

the lawyer: moose tracks.

me: can i have your wine?

this exchange is a total flip-flop of what normally happens.

rox in box, aka friday post numero dos

ever try to do something good and have it turn out really wrong? me too. this wednesday. let me tell you how i managed to cause the maiming of my dog.

the law student and i had been bickering a bit this week, just generally getting on each other's nerves. or so i thought - he had no idea. men. so wednesday afternoon, i thought spending time together on a walk on our favorite trails would give us a good relationship re-charge. and it did, after he quit complaining about how he didn't want to go walking with me.

it is important to note that here in small town, i feel relatively safe leaving my keys in my car if i don't want to keep up with them. this only happens at the park and trails, mainly because i managed to lose a key in the grass once and here to the adage "trust in God but lock your car." you can see where this post is going.

we walked about 5 miles total, in a uncharacteristically chilly may evening. we arrive back at the car, only to find the doors locked, with the keys & phone (per usual) locked inside. it was getting darker, colder, and we were woefully underdressed. ben's comment: "i told you i didn't want to go walking with you." after waiting for someone to come off the trails, i found a kind bearded child (aka frat boy) with a bike and a pt cruiser (just seems like a funny combo to me) who let me use his phone to contact our landlord, who came to pick us up, take us home and unlock our house. we finally made it home around 9 pm, and i began making dinner. we rarely eat before 8 pm as it is, so it was pretty late even for us. wife of the year, right here.

i noticed roxy was acting strangely - walking in circles, sitting down & immediately standing up, laying down & tossing & turning, tucking her tail between her legs while staring up at me and just generally acting uncomfortable. we discovered some inflammation in her tail, but since it was so late at night, there was nothing we could do. poor roxy was so pitiful and obviously in pain and just couldn't get comfortable. so we put her in her box in our room and hoped for the best through the night. i just hated it for her.

yesterday she felt better, but still not good. i called the vet (whom we had just seen on monday and given $100) about it, and the law student brought her in. official diagnosis: dead tail. it's kind of like a sprain, or can happen after prolonged exercise or extreme temperature exposure. since we live in the south, roxy doesn't swim and is kind of a couch potato, we are pretty sure she injured in on our ride home in an unfamiliar car.

so, for the next 3 days, she has been prescribed complete rest and no excitement, otherwise she could lose the use of her tail. this means she must be confined to her roxbox and given pain medication (doggy aleve or something) twice a day. thank goodness it makes her sleepy. on monday we can let her out of the box, but no exercise for 2 more weeks. she is pretty pissed that her life sucks right now. she likes to sleep in her box, but prefers to spend daytime hours lounging on the couch or her pillow palace* on the floor. poor roxyface.

rox + box = frowny face.



*this reference is for brooke and rebecca. i miss being a kid.

and another one...

takes the plunge!

meet the newest nearlyweds, my jules and her zachary
been waiting on this one, folks. they were goners as soon as they met.
wishing you all the love and happiness in your marriage you both can stand.

p.s. move closer?

i feel a wussy wednesday coming on...

wednesday wussy, budget edition. please take the following post with a hunk of cheese, 'cause it's a whiner.

i do not like being on a budget. i do not like not being able to spend money without thinking about its very real impact on other areas of my life. oh, to be single again, and in a time not of economic recession, and saving all my dollahz for fun and frolic while living off daddy's charge accounts. all i'd have to do is not eat much for a while and save up and then purchase away, guilt-free, and worry about it later. the only reason i even got a job in college was for dating purposes. plane tickets to see the law student cost money, and i'm pretty sure the parents would not have footed that bill.

enter marriage (or heck, even just adulthood). budgeting is hard. it's hard for two people living on one paycheck, even with some familial assistance. it's hard to cancel travel plans because of rising gas prices, or choose to cook at home instead of going out for dinner. it's hard when you're having a wardrobe crisis and you can't really afford to revamp it, only mix pieces differently. thankfully, my weight has not drastically changed since college, or i'd really be in the hole! of course, even if i didn't have a budget, i probably still would be a bad shopper and just as indecisive to boot. but that's a separate problem.

but a budget is necessary. my paycheck only contains x amount of money, and we have to make it work, and we have to do it together. fighting about money is not an option in our marriage - we flat-out refuse to do it. we reached this decision before marriage, thankfully, and not after an issue arose. our personal budget is pretty simple. i bring home a paycheck (yes, ben adds whatever he makes too), the law student faithfully designs our budget, and i trust his judgment. even though i work for a CPA, i could not make or stick to a budget on my own. i can barely work my calculator, and have never balanced my checkbook! this way, we control our finances instead of them controlling us and plan for expenses ahead of time. we work to balance wants and needs, the fun things and the necessary ones, so that we're not crying at the end of every month and/or up to our ears in credit card debt. budgeting is a great discipline and though uncomfortable at times, it is good for us and keeps us making smart choices in how we use our money.

unfortunately, insurance, groceries and bills take precedence over fancy nights out, wardrobe updates and gifts. and that's about where i am right now. sigh.


in other news: i'm working out in the mornings (i'm as surprised as you are), the law student is semi-employed and in an office of his own, entertainment icon elizabeth taylor has died, and i found out roseanne barr lives on a nut farm.

segue

so, see previous post below. i told you all that to tell you this on this less-than-bitter-cold and beautiful sunny friday morning.

i may not have a fancy phone, i may tear my dryer sheets in two, i may wear my "running shoes" into the ground and i may buy my coffee at the dollar general, but i. love. my. xm. radio. i'm pretty ADD/control freak about the radio while in the car, which is one of the many reasons why i drive everywhere. the law student indulges/wisely doesn't fight me on this.
little things make marriage work.

things i love about xm radio:

i can listen to elvis anytime i want. as a true southerner, i believe homage is due, and i can get my fix of the king 24/7. it's totally awesome. i now have an irresistible urge to visit graceland. soon.

i know the names and artists of more songs every day.

no more nickelback! i stay away from the top 20-type channels. the rock, grunge and alternatives stations show more sense and wisely ignore them.

i don't know which is more money: elvis, or no nickleback. toss-up.

and your point is...

*disclaimer: basically, this post is a shout-out to several of my favorite blogs with themes, and how mine is not.

so, i read a post here (awesome design blog that i stalk/drool over/envy/wish to emulate despite my lack of inherited design skillz) about how to grow your blog, increase traffic, and such. she has a lot of great ideas about it. as i read, i realized: my blog has no real discernible point.

i'm ok with this. my blog serves no other purpose than to publicly contain my random typings about life, marriage and pet peeves, and entertain myself and a few other readers that happen to share my hit-or-miss humor about the neuroses and experiences that shape my life. i don't need a goal or an objective. i'm not trying to sell you anything or increase my fame, although seeing new followers makes me really really happy (big. hint). i am lost on html code to make my blog super-cute and i do not have time to upload tons of pictures that i don't have tons of time to take. i honestly just have no desire to narrow my blog-vision and drive a point home. also, i like to use as many post labels as possible. you may have noticed.

sorry. remember, i've told you i have commitment issues when it comes to making inane decisions, like buying new running shoes and such. ok, i don't actually run. but whatevsies.

i would love to have a sweet and aesthetically pleasing blog like emily and tim, and write cute letters to the hubs, or to anyone, but i don't. it takes time, effort and consistency. i, personally, am an all-star amateur procrastinator, and some days i just don't feel like writing sweet notes to the law student. but i'm trying to get better about that.

or, if i had an amazing life mission like the oatsvalls, the mayernicks, sarah or katie, i would be more than happy to advocate for it. and i obviously don't have children (nfp success! yes! happy dance.), so a mommy-blog is out of the question. all i have is the roxy, and blogging obsessively about my crooked-ear pound puppy might actually drive people away.

so, for now, i am content with sharing my thoughts and adventures as a law wife, as i see fit. maybe one day i'll shape up and give you a more pointed perspective. or maybe not.

dear husband

last night, you did hand motions to coolio's backintheday hit "1, 2, 3, 4".

i am impressed for 3 reasons:

1. that this song was in your head.
2. that you chose to express your enthusiasm with totally original hand motions.
3. that i caught on and knew exactly what you were doing.

just a little reminder that we are made for each other.

thoughts on marriage

wednesday night:

the law student and i decorated the tree together.
then we drank wine and danced to christmas music in our pajamas.


thursday night:

the law student leaned in for a hug, then burped in my hair.

day/item 4

well, i'm glad to see i can stick to something for at least 4 days...besides ice cream. i've worked out AND blogged for four days straight. this is good news for everyone involved. i'll consider you impressed.

#4 - the parents

my parents were married for 25 years, but now divorced. it makes for hectic holidays. but i love them all the same.

mama first. my doppleganger and wielder of undue influence over my neurotic tendencies and general life habits, much to my occasional chagrin. she's tiny and cute. she was a delta gamma, like me, but quit, also like me. she cheered in college (me again). so many things about her i either already do, or want to do, like not looking my age, grow huge bushes of basil (hey! new use for the glass jars!), decorate (and redecorate) homes, cook fabulous meals... mom, this is weird. stop it.

and then there is daddy - fun-loving, wise-cracking, stubborn and cynical daddy. he loves his lab rowena, back rubs, traveling with his daughters to see baseball parks, and is always up for a good time. he taught me to ride horses, wash cars, and work ethic.


wouldn't be here without ya, folks. love you very, very much individually, even though i wish things were different sometimes.

thoughts

the law graduate and i have read radical: taking back your faith from the american dream by david platt, and are now reading the bible together in 1 year. we get up every morning, pray, then read, then pray. it's good. and as much as it physically pains me to get up that early and read, i miss it if i don't do it. p.s. i already know this, but genesis is loooooong. and a bit strange.

current facebook status: Football. Bulldogs. Starkville. Friends. Maroon. Can't. Wait.

i think if you ask your man to go buy you tampons, he should be ecstatic, not embarassed. because when he buys said tampons, it not only shows that he does, in fact, have a relationship with a woman, but also that the woman is not pregnant. i think this is a good thing.

getting old sucks. i have these crazy "blond" hairs and a rather persistent 5 pounds that threatens my wardrobe. and then there's that thing called responsibility. i'm pretty sure i should have it all together by now. i don't.

survey and a side note

The Best of '09--thanks, new follower joeli.

feel free to copy and answer for yourself!

1. what did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? started nfp
2. did you keep your new year’s resolutions in '09, and have you made some for '10? can't remember 2009, and the only for 2010 is to not get pregnant, and lose these 5 pounds that came out of NOWHERE.
3. did anyone close to you give birth? jessica and sweet harper belle, and sara with olivia amy.
4. did anyone close to you die? ben's grammi, bless her.
5. what countries did you visit? none. poot.
6. what would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? more motivation and a real-world job for the law student.
7. what dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? oct. 10--little olivia!
8. what was your biggest achievement of the year? not getting pregnant or fired.
9. what was your biggest failure? not staying in shape, learning spanish or painting enough
10. did you suffer illness or injury? an infected cat bite.
11. what was the best thing you bought? yoga pants, plane ticket to tampa and wine.
12. whose behavior merited celebration? can i be generic and say tim tebow? also katie in uganda.
13. whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? that would be you, tiger woods, speidi, mel gibson, imaletyoufinish west and jon gosselin.
14. where did most of your money go? wine and gas
15. what did you get really, really, really excited about? probably something by rihanna.
16. what song will always remind you of 2009? michael jackson, duh! and lady gaga for some damn reason.
17. compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier, cause the law student only has 5 more months and i discovered textsfromlastnight.com
(b) thinner or fatter? fatter. :(
c) richer or poorer? probably poorer.
18. what do you wish you’d done more of? good, painting, sacrificing
19. what do you wish you’d done less of? talking
20. how did you spend christmas? same as this year--the starkville-columbus shuffle, and then rick's with friends.
21. did you fall in love in 2009? already there
22. what was your favorite tv program? oooh! new favorites LOST, true blood and criminal minds
23. do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? don't know. probably not.
24. what was the best book you read? franny & zooey and animal vegetable miracle.
25. what was your greatest musical discovery? ida maria and the black keys, rediscovered ben harper
26. what did you want and get? skinny jeans and a mirror for the wall, and awareness.
27. what did you want and not get? a more cooperative gi tract, awesome job and family peace
28. what was your favorite film of this year? it really might be sherlock holmes. also, food, inc., the hangover, milk and the spirit
29. what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? i was 27, and i worked 10 hours and had a dinner i didn't really like and can't even remember what i got from the law student
30. what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? seeing more of my friends more often, and a personal shopper
31. how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? "anna, i have nothing to wear!"
32. what kept you sane? wine. ha! coming home to the law student, and working out.
33. which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? whatever.
34. what political issue stirred you the most? the food industry, adoption and health care
35. who did you miss? jules
36. who was the best new person you met? marty and friends from pilates! anne, stevie and jessica
37. tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. you are what you eat.
38. quote a song lyric that sums up your year. ok, i googled that. and still i have nothing.

side note: just a little insight into the female mind. when i say, "honeeeeey, i wish you wouldn't do that on that nice buffet," what i really mean is, "oh my gosh, why in the free world would you do that there? that's a nice piece of furniture! come on, ben, think! think! i know you think you just HAVE to stand in front of the tv, and can't really bear to tear yourself away from it for even just a second, but really? don't tear up the furniture. that stuff scratches."

the luck of the irish

i like to fancy myself as being of irish ancestry, however far removed. my maiden name, mckissack (i miss it), is obviously from the emerald isle. i have an obsession with green, irish poems and claddaghs. according to my maternal grandmother, we are not cherokee, as we have always been told, but actually black irish--now that was an interesting incident. supplemental post to follow. either way, i have some sort of ancestry that has been furiously oppressed at some point in time. my in-laws traveled to ireland a few years ago (so jealous). her grandmother was actually from ireland, and my mother-in-law actually found her cousin on the streets of ireland. she said he looked like her dead father and i think it kind of freaked her out.

this post is about a sweet story i heard yesterday.

i was in belk here in smalltown, mississippi, and was looking for a birthday present for steve, the life professional. a sweet lady helped me and somehow we got on the subject of ireland. she said her husband was from ireland. i told her how much i loved ireland, etc., just like i did above. then she told me how she and her husband met. they met on the internet (she in mississippi, he in ireland), he came over for a visit to officially meet her face-to-face, and he stayed and they got married. just up and left his homeland and never went back! she also said they save their pennies all year so they can visit his family. i thought it was so cute.


************
supplemental post regarding my up-for-grabs ancestry.

for as long as i can remember, i have always been told i was cherokee indian (native american, whatever) on my maternal grandfather's side. my mom always told me this, pointing out that my grandfather was always red and that my great-great-grandmother had been cherokee or married a cherokee (or looked at a cherokee once, whatever). naturally, as a small, trusting child, i took her at her word. little did i know that this was wrong. i remember the incident clearly. we were at my grandmother's house, in the kitchen, maybe putting up some leftover mcclard's barbecue (or getting it out of the fridge, who knows). i mention something about being cherokee. immediately, my mom (who is behind grandma) starts making the cease-and-desist motion with her hands and mouthing no while my grandmother simultaneously launches into a swift and final explanation that we are not cherokee. we are black irish. and since i can't take a hint to save my life (almost got me arrested once, thankyouverymuchmrduiofficer), i argue with her. at this point mom gives up, grandma talks without caring if we are listening because she is right and that's all there is to it, and i am very sorry i asked.